Debt consolidation is the process of securing one loan to pay off all other loans. This is done for many reasons - enjoying lower rates of interest, securing fixed rates of interest, or minimizing headaches by paying off only one loan at a time. At times, debt consolidation companies sometimes discount loan amounts. They do this when the debtor faces the immediate threat of bankruptcy. Debtors can use this to their advantage by looking for consolidators willing to pass along some of the savings shored up once a debt consolidator buys the loan at discounted rates. In this section are articles that provide more insight into the matter of debt consolidation.